For his Hall of Fame career, Randy Travis’s ace-in-the-hole behind-the-scenes was his manager, his biggest believer, his staunchest champion, his eventual wife, and eventually, his biggest and most catastrophic adversary, Elizabeth “Lib” Hatcher. This is their story.
Now that the summer has commenced in earnest and the COVID-19 pandemic is mostly behind us, it’s time to hit the road, and hang out with friends, and listen to the country songs from artists that the mainstream won’t mess with, but that define the best that country music has to offer.
I’m just warning you right now folks, similar to the warnings issued for Sturgill Simpson, Tyler Childers, Billy Strings and the like. See your favorite independent artist in an intimate setting when you can, because sometimes these guys catch fire, and next thing you know…
A washed-up jingoist, a normcore corporate songwriting dork with astigmatism, and a roided-out stove-headed tough guy in motorcycle garb walk into a bar … stop me if you’ve heard this one. Yeah, I’m mad as hell about this new Brantley Gilbert single.
Well if you were like most of us and couldn’t be there in person when Tyler Childers slayed at the iconic Red Rocks amphitheater in Colorado on September 30th, 2019, or perhaps you missed the live stream presented in real time, perhaps this 3rd opportunity will be your charm.
As an up-and-coming artist from Texas, Miranda Lambert once played there to five people when she was just 14, just trying to get her name out there. The Firehouse Saloon was that kind of place that would give local performers and up-and-comers a chance. Ironically, it’s now gone up in flames.
It’s the utilization of space that has worked to Lord Huron’s advantage over the last nearly 10 years. But on Long Lost, they also add the much deeper dimension of time, sending you not just up, but also away, facilitating that fully immersive experience only the best of music can.
Even if you weren’t particularly into country music or whatever the awards show was covering, you didn’t want to be the only person standing around the water cooler at work or in the lunchroom at school the next day who didn’t see the CMAs or the ACMs, even if it was just to hate on them.
As we near the halfway pole in the musical year, it’s time to suss out the best albums that have been released in 2021 so far. There’s already some very strong contenders for Album of the Year, and the first albums highlighted should be considered early candidates for Album of the Year.
Nikki Lane and Brent Cobb entertained us with their anti-acrimony ode “Soapbox” off of Brent Cobb’s 2020 record Keep ‘Em on They Toes, and now they will be hitting the road together on a joint tour later this summer and into the fall dubbed the “Soapbox Derby Tour.”
“Javelina” is still graced by the presence of the grit-edged cowboy poetry that was so emblematic of his earlier records. But the music comes blazing out of your speakers, alive and enthused until you catch all those feels that only the old iconic classic rock albums gave you.
The first time Randy Travis showed up to a Cody Jinks show, it was a surprise, as was Randy’s endorsement of Cody Jinks in his autobiography. The way Randy came out this time, you could tell a friendship has developed between the two country stars.
The good news is that nobody was killed. But for the 13 injured and the two currently in critical condition—and everyone else in Austin’s iconic 6th Street entertainment district Friday night (6/12) trying to enjoy an evening out—it was a nightmare scenario nonetheless.
A new lawsuit filed in the Dallas County Probate Court in Texas has revealed that Pride had a fourth child from an extramarital and interracial relationship that was kept quiet for decades. 41-year-old Tyler Tines Pride is a police officer from Tyler, Texas.
Sorry, I can’t turn you onto any new music from the Turnpike Troubadours at this turn, but I can offer you the next best thing. Turnpike bass player, songwriter, and beating heart RC “Rooster” Edwards has been working a side hustle for some years now called RC and the Ambers.
About all that the once mighty music scene in Austin, TX has left to cling to are the handful of holdout venues and their brave and enterprising owners that in spite of all the adversity, the sacrifice they must suffer, and the odds they must overcome, they do it anyway.
An era is ending for country music in Dallas, TX, as the city’s most beloved local honky tonk band has decided to call it quits after over two decades of scooting boots across floors, opening shows for the big names rolling through town, and playing residencies that went on to become legendary.
“What is country music?!” This is what thousands of country music fans screamed at their televisions on Tuesday, June 8th when they were taken by surprise to see one of the questions on the TV game show dealt with one of the most iconic songs in country history.
In a brilliant economy of words, James McMurtry can bring alive entire characters and expansive landscapes in songs, revealing details down to the crevices in the dried soil, and the contours of a face in the mind’s eye. He’s compiled a body of work that rivals most any other songwriter.
Sarah Shook and the Disarmers are the hard-charging badasses of punk-inspired country music, and their last record from 2018 called Years ended up being named the Saving Country Music Album of the Year. Ever since then we’ve been anticipating the followup.
Horse racing and country music are two occupations where pedigree can often be a strong predictor of talent and skill. So word coming down that traditional country legend Mark Chesnutt’s son is leaning hard into making country music is a plenty good excuse to perk your ears up and pay attention.
Kyle Nix has revealed that he will start playing full band shows in the coming weeks and months, upping the ante with the solo project. he also took to social media to tell his fans that a few months ago, he’d checked himself into rehab.
Breland is back, and collaborating closely with Keith Urban in the hopes of giving him some credibility in country’s mainstream. Jokes on him though, because Keith Urban has no credibility to lend. Don’t believe me, just recall when he accidentally won Entertainer of the Year in 2018.
Blackberry Smoke is back on top once again with the band’s latest album You Hear Georgia. It’s a position the Georgia-based Southern rock outfit is used to, bolstered by a supremely loyal fan base. “You Hear Georgia” ended up at #1 in album sales in both country and rock.
